And once Davis took himself out of that plan, Mullin was quite ready to move on to all the other things he wanted to do with the Warriors.

After Baron – that enormously talented, stubborn, charming, frustrating and often energy-sapping superstar.

Now this is unquestionably Monta Ellis’ team, which is a lot to put on a young player who has never played point guard full time. But that’s the plan. It was two months ago, two weeks ago and it definitely is now.

“I’m pretty comfortable with him handling the ball whenever,” Mullin said late Wednesday of Ellis, breaking 12 days of Warriors front-office silence after Davis’ decision to opt out and leave for the Clippers.

“I’m pretty comfortable with (Ellis) dictating a lot with the ball in his hands.”

Boiling down all the other scenarios and options, moving past Davis’ fiefdom to get to Ellis and a younger, more versatile, less personality-driven team is the crux of the Warriors’ transition.

Risky? Yes. But inevitable. You can tell by listening to Mullin.

How does he explain giving wing player Corey Maggette a massive five-year deal worth almost $50 million? By pointing to Maggette’s high rate of scoring production, but also by emphasizing Maggette’s fierce work ethic in the gym.

“He gets his points and rebounds,” Mullin said. “But I just think it’s his approach to the work and his lifestyle that will be a huge benefit for our young guys. They can watch him, see how he approaches it and maybe they can emulate him.”

My translation: Maggette isn’t a star by any means, but it’s better for Ellis (and Brandan Wright, Andris Biedrins and Anthony Randolph) to have Maggette as a fitness role model than the guy who moved on.

And remember, Mullin chased Elton Brand, whose work ethic and dependability are legendary in the league. Davis . . . not so much.

How does Mullin describe his feelings about Davis’ surprising departure? By nonchalantly saying he always knew Davis could do it. And if Davis did it? That’s the player’s choice, oh well.

“I just think that the way the scenario played out, after our conversations, once he opted out, he was looking to go somewhere else,” Mullin said.

How does Mullin react when he’s asked if subtracting Davis and adding Maggette and possibly Ronny Turiaf means the Warriors will be worse this season than they were in the past two? By debating the point – and suggesting the Warriors can be better without Baron.

“Can we be deeper, play with more energy, share the ball more, rebound better, play a little bit better defensively?” Mullin said. “Yeah, that is possible.”

This is not to suggest that Mullin wanted or expected Davis to leave this soon. But Mullin clearly had been toying with the idea for a while, and, probably with a prod from ownership, Mullin never seriously considered giving Davis anything resembling the five-year, $65 million deal surrendered by the Clippers.

Mullin has his financial parameters, which triggered the decision not to use the $9.9 million trade exception. He has some very promising young talent. And he had Davis, who kept the Warriors at a competitive level but might see his career tail off very soon.

“It’s exciting any time you get an opportunity to do some new and exciting things,” Mullin said. “It also sometimes racks your brain a little bit. But that’s all good. . .

“I don’t worry about other people, what they’re saying, if they don’t know what’s happening. If anything, I feel more comfortable in that situation.”

Obviously, Mullin is not like any other NBA executive and he is enormously aware and thoroughly proud of that.

He doesn’t gossip on the phones with his brethren all day. He doesn’t flourish on the road at tournaments or in summer league haunts. He doesn’t obsess about Internet rumors, gab to agents or cater to national opinion-makers.

It might be better for him and more palatable for Warriors fans if he did those things, especially in the past 12 Days That Shook the Franchise.

But he doesn’t. He plots. He sets up layers of options. He makes his moves. And he does it quietly. He can drive everybody else crazy – Davis dumped the Warriors and nobody knew what the Warriors thought, how they were reacting, if they had planned for this at all.

“You mean when I’m not explaining everything that’s going on in my brain at all times?” Mullin said with a laugh. “Yeah, I’m 100 percent fine with that. I’m fine with not explaining everything and people wondering.

“And not just in the NBA, but in life. In fact, that’s the only way to live. For me. Definitely.”

It isn’t going to change, for as long as Mullin runs the Warriors. He will make his plans. Sift through his options. Be prepared to remake large portions of the roster in a blink.

And he will do it quietly, suddenly and surprisingly. We might as well plan for it.